I don't want to talk about American Idol

One of these guys won. / FOX

...because I don't care. I don't care enough that I didn't even watch the finale last night. And now, having read Jim Poniewozik's spoiler recap, I don't have to. (Hint: David wins.)

I used to talk about A.I. at work, with anyone unlucky enough to happen by my office when I dragged in on a Wednesday morning. No longer. Maybe it's because what with our recent move, I now sit in office Siberia between tech, fashion and copy edit. Or maybe it's because of what I said: I don't care.

I'm not alone. From AdAge.com:

Daily conversations about the popular Fox talent show have sharply decreased since last year, according to a survey of Americans between the ages of 13 and 69 conducted by Keller Fay Group, a New Brunswick, N.J., market research firm that specializes in word-of-mouth analysis.

Interestingly,

Keller Fay also found that chatter about "American Idol" has shifted to the home from the office or school. Conversations about "Idol" at work or school fell to 25% in 2008, compared with 37% in 2007. Meanwhile, conversations about the program at home rose to 63% in 2008, compared with 52% in 2007. Likewise, a greater percentage of people surveyed said they were talking about the show with members of their family -- 60% in 2008 vs. 42% last year -- rather than with co-workers, 16% in 2008 compared with 31% in 2007.

My theory: watercooler chitchat isn't just about sharing your thoughts on the news of the day. It's also about impression management. You want to leave colleagues with cleverly wrought nuggets that reveal how cool your out-of-office life is. And A.I. is no longer cool. Admitting you follow it is akin to gushing about yesterday's episode of As the World Turns. (Oh, no. Who'd I just alienate?) Am I right?